Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena achieved a remarkable feat as he became the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will take place in France.

Obiena earned his qualification to the summer games when he cleared a stunning 5.82 meters on his second attempt in the men’s pole vault competition of the Bauhaus Galan leg of the Diamond League held last July 2.

With this successful stunt, Obiena clinched his silver medal in his first event for qualifying. This gave him a spot behind the champion, Mondo Duplantis, who cleared 6.05 meters.

Following this record, Obiena disclosed on social media that he still has a lot to learn as an athlete.

“We continue the work as we still have lots to do. Made some rookie mistakes yesterday. It just shows [that] I am still a student of the game,” he said in his Facebook post.

Before joining the Diamond League, Obiena took home the bronze medal in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2023 men’s pole vault competition held in the Czech Republic when he finished with a 5.90-meter jump.

Photo Credit:
https://www.facebook.com/EJObiena/

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/EJObiena/
https://www.facebook.com/psc.gov.ph